“Thought I Was Gonna Die”: Cruise Ship Pianist Found in Ocean After 9 Hours Treading Water

Two local fishermen are being called heroes after rescuing a Royal Caribbean crew member who spent at least 9 hours treading water 15 to 20 miles off the Southern California coast.

Grant Garrett and Sean Norton were returning from a marlin fishing trip near Catalina Island on Friday around noon when they spotted someone nearby, floating in the ocean.

They moved the fishing boat closer and pulled the man from the water. He was visibly shocked. While recovering on their boat, the crew member told the fishermen he worked as a pianist aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas.

While there are still a lot of details that are unclear at this point, here is what we know so far about this story.

“I Thought I Was Gonna Die”

The two fishermen were heading back to Newport Beach when their boat’s captain noticed the 37-year-old crew member struggling in the Pacific.

The man was exhausted and barely able to move. In a report first broken by CBS Los Angeles, Norton said the man’s first words once safely aboard were “Thank you. I thought I was gonna die.”

The fishing vessel issued an emergency call, which prompted Newport Beach Lifeguards to meet the boat offshore and transfer the man to land. He was rushed to a local hospital and is expected to survive.

Timeline and Survival Factors

Authorities estimate the crew member went into the water around 2:30 AM while Ovation of the Seas was heading back to port. If this timeline is correct, cruise ship tracking data shows the crew member went overboard while the ship was roughly 40 miles west of San Diego.

The man then spent almost 10 hours treading water in the open ocean in November.

This incredible fact was not lost on the fishermen. Warmer waters this year are a big reason the man was able to survive.

“You have this crazy super El Niño year. This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water’s 76 degrees.  A different year, no way he makes it”, Norton said to CBS.

Official Statement

While the rescued man told the fishermen he was a ship pianist, official cruise line channels have not formally released his name, job role, age, or nationality.

Royal Caribbean did, however, confirm in a statement that they are assisting the crew member:

“We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time. To respect the privacy of our employee, we have no additional details to share,” a spokesperson said.

The U.S. Coast Guard has launched an official investigation into how the crew member ended up in the ocean.